Jesse GabrielIncumbent
Candidate for Assembly District 46
Jesse Gabriel is a Democratic Assembly member. He represents District 46, in the western San Fernando Valley, including Encino. He has held that seat since December 2022. Before that, he held the similar District 45 seat, from 2018 to 2022. He was born in Berkeley and raised in Oak Park, California. Gabriel earned a B.A. in political science from UC Berkeley. He served as student government president there. He earned a J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School. Before the Legislature, he was counsel to U.S. Senator Evan Bayh. He later worked as a litigation attorney. He was at the firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles. He worked on cases involving domestic abuse victims. He also worked on cases involving Holocaust survivors and hate crimes. He represented DACA recipients in a 2017 lawsuit. He won the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year award in 2018. He now chairs the Assembly Budget Committee. He also co-chairs the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. Gabriel is running for re-election to District 46 in 2026. He advanced from the June 2026 primary with 66.2% of the vote. His opponent is Republican Tracey Schroeder. She is the same opponent he beat in 2024. Born September 25, 1981. Home: Encino, California. Job: California State Assemblymember; he trained as an attorney. Prior office: Incumbent since 2018. He held District 45 from 2018 to 2022, then District 46 since 2022.
On the issues
- Taxes & Cost of Living
As Assembly Budget Committee Chair, Gabriel has been centrally involved in shaping state budget and spending decisions, though no specific personal position on broad tax policy (income, sales, or property tax rates) was found.
Source → - Housing & Homelessness
Gabriel has authored legislation aimed at addressing California's housing and homelessness crisis, including measures supporting homeless veterans and affordable housing funding accountability.
Source → - Public Safety & Policing
Gabriel has authored significant gun-safety legislation, including the nation's first state tax on gun industry profits to fund school safety, and has worked with gun-violence-prevention advocates including former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Source → - Criminal Justice & Courts
Gabriel has supported increasing corporate criminal financial penalties and, following the 2025 LA County wildfires, introduced legislation strengthening penalties for looting and for impersonating emergency responders during disasters.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Gabriel has authored food-safety legislation targeting harmful additives in food, particularly for children, and supported COVID-era public health measures such as expanded testing and PPE access.
Source → - Reproductive & Social Issues
Gabriel was a principal co-author of California constitutional amendments enshrining reproductive freedom and marriage equality protections into the state constitution.
Source → - Education & Schools
Gabriel has worked on school safety and school nutrition legislation, and describes strengthening public education as a legislative priority, though no specific position on school choice/charters or teacher pay was found.
Source → - Environment, Energy & Climate
Gabriel describes himself as a consistent supporter of climate action, including expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Source → - Water & Natural Resources
Gabriel has supported water conservation measures as part of his environmental record, though no specific position on water rights, groundwater management, or infrastructure funding was found.
Source →
Profiles are compiled from the candidate’s own statements and public records. We never tell you how to vote.